White Yule
by Eileniessa
Summary: Toussaint is lovely, its bright, warm and sunny, but it never ever snows. The children living at Corvo Bianco dream of a White Yule and a certain Sorceress has a bright idea.


Disclaimer:

This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the books by Andrzej Sapkowski and the game series by CD Projekt Red. I do not claim ownership to any of these characters and have written this fan fiction for entertainment, not financial gain.

* * *

Rachel Cohn - _Dash & Lily's Book of Dares_

"I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas: It brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meandered the streets and children trudged sleds and chased snowballs. No one seemed to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happened."

* * *

"Lady Yennefer, I finished my letter!"

The high- pitched voice rang through the halcyon encompassing the estate as a small group of children, five to be exact, sat on the floor in front of Corvo Bianco under the late afternoon sun, gathered around a beautiful woman dressed in black and white who was perched on a bench before them. Unknown to her, she was being watched by a man with long white hair who was standing a little way away with a smile on his face.

"Let me see." Said Yennefer, holding her hand out for the piece of parchment clutched in the girl's hand which she passed over. "That's the wrong type of dear, Rela, its 'd-e-a-r' not 'd-e-e-r'."

"But our Aunt is an old deer!" Called out the girl next to her, who had the same face, shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes as Rela, few could tell the twins apart, especially since they always seemed to wear the same clothes, today a dark green dress. "She jumps at anything, sometimes even when the wind changes direction." Tira's smile was identical to her sisters as they grinned broadly, the other children giggling around them.

"True as that may be, think it, don't write it." Said Yennefer, smiling slightly as she handed the letter back.

"I've finished mine." Said Tira, passing it to her.

"Tira, what's the day today?" Asked the Sorceress, looking over the top of the letter to peer at her.

"The 27th July."

"Then why have you dated this the 2nd July?"

"Well, because then when our Auntie reads the letter she'll think, 'Oh my, how long these letters take to reach me' and then I can put off replying to her letter for longer." Yennefer only raised an eyebrow at her as more giggles erupted from the group.

"Hmmm, yes, very clever. If she thinks the letters take that long, maybe she'll think that parcels take as equally long to deliver and then she'll stop sending you all those annoying packages of sweets and you can eat vegetables instead to fill your tummies, or maybe she might come and bring them herself and stay with you for a while. Would you like that?" The twins shook their heads in unison looking disgusted. "No, I thought not. Don't date your letters wrong please." She passed it back to Tira who quickly began scribbling on it, Rela whispering in her ear.

"I've finished mine Lady Yennefer." Said Dardi smugly, as he strutted over to her with the letter. "It has the right date _and_ dear."

"True, the writing is fine but you haven't used any punctuation at all."

"Why does that matter? It still makes sense doesn't it." Yennefer raised an eyebrow at him which told him all too well that he was walking on thin ice, his shoulders slumped.

"No. Imagine if I spoke to you without pausing for even a second because it's the same thing, without punctuation, this is just a block of words." Letter in hand once again he sat back down looking grumpy, ruffling his short, scruffy dark blonde hair.

"Lady Yennefer, would you be able to look at my letter please?" Asked the smallest member of the group, a girl with light brown hair pulled back into two pigtails.

"Of course, Matilda." She replied, taking the parchment. "You need to remember capital letters for names, hmmm, I see you've been practicing your handwriting, very good." She handed the letter back and the girl smiled at her.

"Thank you." Said Matilda as she took the letter and placed it in a small wooden box with several other pieces of parchment, writing a note to herself on the back.

Yennefer quickly cast her eyes over to the boy sitting at the back of the group, arms wrapped around his knees, a piece of paper clutched tightly in one hand as he looked at the floor, obviously trying to avoid her gaze. She sighed softly but didn't comment as she turned her attention back to the others.

"If there are no questions then it's time to head home, it's getting late. But first, tell me what you'd like to learn tomorrow."

There was a murmur of excitement amongst the group. Learning practical skills like reading, writing, math and general history was all well and good, especially as Yennefer's teachings were never boring, but the best days were those days when they talked about magic, or the conjunction of spheres, or of elven legends, those days when the Enchantress sated their curiosity with wonderful tales and facts.

"And please, no shouting. Just write it down on a piece of parchment and I'll pick one at random, quickly now, before your parents come chasing after me thinking that I've done something horrible to you."

As Matilda, Rela, Tira and Dardi eagerly handed in their suggestion before heading back to their families, who were now returning from the vineyards, a small boy, though tall for his age, with mousy hair shuffled over to Yennefer, handing in a piece of paper, watching the woman with apprehension as she skimmed over his writing.

"The only thing I could possibly recommend is expanding your vocabulary, your handwriting is very neat, you've used the right address, capital letters in all the correct places and it's well structured. Well done Alac, as usual." She smiled at him as she handed the letter back and he looked relieved, nodding his head to her before putting the letter in his pocket and turning to go. "Alac, why are you afraid to show your work in front of the others?"

He stopped walking and lowered his head to the floor, nervously clasping his hands together in front of him as he slowly turned back round to face her.

"My Father says that nobody likes a know it all, that, that a clever child never…never brings anything to the family, they're just a hindrance." He answered quietly. Gently Yennefer raised the boy's head to look at her.

"Alac, with no disrespect to your Father, that's bullshit." He giggled slightly and the Sorceress could already see him visibly relaxing, she smiled as well, but then she looked at him very seriously. "You are a very bright child, Alac, and more importantly you have the drive to learn and improve yourself and I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in a couple of years, you're studying at Oxenfurt. But, you need to have more confidence in yourself, as I do, because you know that I'm rare to praise, but when I do, it's always sincere."

"Thank you, Lady Yennefer, I'll, I'll try. I, I won't let you down." He said more confidently, smiling warmly at her before running after the others, but after several paces he stopped. "Lady Yennefer, might I ask….will, will there be snow again this Yule, please?" She smiled.

"Would you like that?"

"Yes, very much Lady Yennefer."

"Then snow there shall be, I promise." He nodded in thanks before running off once more. As he caught up with the others the Sorceress could see him speaking happily with the other children who all turned to her at once.

"Thank you!" They screamed together beaming at her before talking ecstatically amongst themselves about what to do this white Yule completely overcome with anticipation to witness Lady Yennefer's spectacular magic once again.

* * *

 _Twelve months earlier_

"Please Master Geralt, just one more story. Please!" Begged Rela and Tira together, waving their hands in the air as though they were praying, looking around at the other three children gathered in the orchid for support. "Pleeeeeeeease."

"If I tell you one more story, will you promise me that you'll go home after?" Asked Geralt, leaning back on the bench.

"Promise."

"Okay then, what would you like to hear about?" There was a short silence as the children thought very carefully about their request.

"Sir, what about, what about a white yule, please?" Asked Alac timidly, tracing his finger through the dirt.

"Yes please, I'd like to hear about a White Yule." Said Matilda, smiling at the brown-haired boy kindly, ponytails swaying in the slight breeze. "Please Sir, we've never had a White Yule before, it never snows in this part of Toussaint. What's it like?"

"Mostly it's just very cold, especially when I used to winter at our old Witcher Fortress because Kaer Morhen is like an ice cube in the winter."

"But that's partly what you love about a White Yule isn't it?"

The children all searched for the melodic voice soon spotting a figure gliding towards them, she was hard to miss, a lodestone for all eyes. What they knew about the Lady who had moved in with Master Geralt two months ago was limited, consisting only of the knowledge that she was a powerful Sorceress from the North who always dressed in black and white, that she was the legendary lover of the White Wolf and the adoptive Mother of the heir to Nilfgaard, that her name was Lady Yennefer of Vengerberg and that she was breathtakingly beautiful. The sight of her evoked a sort of hesitant fascination as the children looked at her with a mixture of awe and fear as she stood beside the Witcher, but with her eyes fixed on them, rendering them silent, as though they'd become hypnotized.

"It's a good excuse to eat hot food and drink your way through whole casks of mead, which makes you exceedingly merry and nostalgic as I recall."

"Mmmm true, but my favourite bit about a White Yule is huddling round the fire with Yen, enjoying all the beautiful sights." Said Geralt, catching Yennefer's gaze out of the corner of his eyes as she raised an eyebrow and smiled lasciviously at him knowing that the children, in their ignorance, would not see the connotations behind the mature exchange. The children felt more at ease after seeing this innocent conversation.

"I love that you always comment on how things look more beautiful in the snow." Said the Sorceress as she slowly wandered past the Witcher towards a small patch of dirt several metres away.

"Come on, let's move so Yen can work in peace." Said Geralt. The children groaned.

"No, it's okay Geralt, you can stay. This spell is long and tedious, perhaps listening to your stories will help keep me awake." They looked at him, eyes brimming with hope.

"Alright then." He said, turning his gaze back to the children as Yennefer began muttering spells under her breath, nimbly moving her hands and fingers through the air with fine precision as magic began to seep from her fingertips, burying itself in the earth before her. "Well, it all starts off with a hot breakfast in the morning…"

* * *

"…and then you sit down around the fire before heading off to bed, wrapped up in furs and blankets." Concluded Geralt ten minutes later.

"White Yules sound great! Bet I could beat you all in a snowball fight _and_ in a sleigh race!" Shouted Dardi puffing out his chest.

"No you couldn't!" Screamed Tira and Rela folding their arms in unison.

"Could!"

"Couldn't!"

"Could!"

"Couldn't!"

"Whooo, enough already." Said the Witcher imperatively, silencing the fracas which was unravelling the serenity of the orchid. "Time to head home now and no arguing you promised, remember."

"Yes Master Geralt."

As the children got to their feet, brushing dirt from their colourful clothes, they felt the earth shake slightly around them as though a stampede of horses were racing across the estate. They looked towards the Witcher with fearful eyes as he sat calmly on the bench looking over to his right and as they followed his gaze they caught a glimpse of the raven-haired Sorceress, hands glowing with magic, before her whole body became obscured as a thick tree trunk suddenly sprouted from the ground, branches stretching out towards the sun like claws before luscious green leaves began to grow from the wood. In a few seconds, the fully-grown apple tree looked close to snapping under the weight of the bright fruit hanging from its boughs.

There was a stunned silence as the children looked on, mouths agape like fish out of water as they looked up at the tree as Yennefer appeared from behind it, slumping down onto the bench beside Geralt, tossing her head back and closing her eyes as she took a deep sigh.

"How are you feeling Yen?" He asked as she massaged her temples.

"Exhausted and a bit dizzy, the latter should pass soon. Thank heavens that was the last seed, that spell is…unpleasant, but it was worth, now the orchid is done that's another thing we can cross off the list."

"Would you like some water?"

"Please." As Geralt headed over to the house the Enchantress opened her eyes and turned her attention to the five small people standing before her in stunned silence. "Aren't you supposed to be heading home?"

"Sorry Lady Yennefer, we didn't mean to disturb you, only we've never seen magic before. We'll leave you in pe-"

"That was amazing!" Cried out Tira, cutting off Matilda who looked at Yennefer in a manner usually reserved only for those aged in enough years to have acquired the wisdom that accompanies older age. It was an apologetic look, a truly peculiar gesture from one who could have seen no more than seven Yules.

"Please show us more. Can you grow another tree? Please!" Piped up Rela.

"No, no, I want to see fire, you must be super powerful. Can you set fire to something, what about that bird?!" Shouted Dadri, butting in front of the twins who stuck their tongues out at him.

"That's the fifth tree I've done today, If I do any more magic I think I might pass out and Geralt will go into Mother Hen mode, something I do not have the strength to deal with at the moment, and he probably won't tell you any more stories for a month." The children seemed to deflate under her words, and she chuckled under her breath. "drwy fy llaw i, yn symud."

Three apples flew off the branches of the new tree, hovering in the air before Yennefer as though suspended by tiny hooks. She said something else that the children couldn't comprehend and with a small flick of her wrists each apple was split into two.

"Perhaps another time I will show you more, now take these and run home."

"Thank you, Lady Yennefer." Said Matilda as she plucked one of the slices of fruit from the air taking a small bite out of it, the others watching her. "It tastes wonderful."

"Hmmm, that's magically enhanced apples for you." Said the Sorceress as one of the slices dropped into her hand.

As Geralt returned from the house with a pitcher of cold water and a glass, he saw the children eagerly munching away on pieces of apple as they disappeared from the Orchid, but when he approached the bench, he saw one child still standing there, looking at the fruit in his hands. He saw Yennefer looking at the boy, measuring him up before she spoke.

"Is there something you wanted to ask?" She said quietly. The boy shuffled his feet. "Come on now, what is it?" Slowly he looked up at her.

"Lady Yennefer, I was wondering, is it, is it possible to have a White Yule in Toussaint? Ever?"

"I wouldn't say it's impossible, there's been weather phenomenon in the North before which have resulted in snow during the spring, but it is very, very unlikely." He smiled sadly at her.

"Thank you."

"What's your name?" She asked, taking a sip of water from the glass Geralt handed over to her, offering him the apple in exchange.

"Alac."

"You've never seen snow before, have you Alac?" He shook his head. "llu Gwyn."

The boy jumped on the spot as he felt something cold touch the back of his hand and his eyes went wide as he saw the snow flake melting away on his bare skin as a small flurry of snow drifted down around him from the small cloud of white mist hanging in the air a metre above his head. He turned his face up to the sky, watching the snow fall around him trying to catch some in his hands. After a few minutes, it stopped.

"Thank you, Lady Yennefer." Said Alac beaming at her and Geralt was surprised, he'd never seen the boy this relaxed before.

"You're welcome. Now run after the others, before they come looking for you." He nodded, ruffling his mousy hair which was slightly damp from the snow before heading home.

"I love you, Yen." Said Geralt softly as he wrapped his arm around her, smiling at her.

"Don't you go getting all sentimental as well." She said teasingly as she rested her weary head on his shoulder.

"Yen, are you alright? You look like you're about to fall asleep, let's go inside."

"I'm fine Geralt."

"Yen…"

"Geralt, honestly, stop fussing. Let's sit here for a while, I want to think, I've had an idea…"

* * *

 _Eleven months earlier, the night before Yule._

"Everyone has turned in for the night." Said Barnabas-Basil as he quietly entered the house.

"Ready to start, Yen?" Asked Geralt.

"Yes, the faster we are the smaller the chance someone will see us so let's begin at once. Take these and put them around the estate where I showed you, then let's meet at the centre."

She handed them several small silver rods, each of which looked like a miniature staff with a small white crystal on top and blue runes along its sides. They nodded and set to work and about twenty minutes later the trio were gathered in front of the main house.

"Now the perimeters set up I'll begin the spell at once, you two start on the decorations, and try to get them all up before I've finished, it will look better."

"At once Lady Yennefer." Said Barnabas-Basil, picking up one of the small brown sacks and walking off.

As Geralt opened one of the bags to begin decorating the front of their house, he saw the Sorceress plant a rod, with an identical design to the others but larger, the top of the crystal level with her eyes, into the cobblestone. He watched as she began the spell, he loved to look at her when she did magic.

"Gadewch yr eira yn disgyn o'n cwmpas heddiw," began Yennefer, the white crystal pulsating with the same white light which was flooding for her fingertips like frost, "fel storm yna fel llu, gadewch yr eira yn disgyn ar y tir hwn o dan y gromen hon."

* * *

 _Eleven months earlier, Yule morning._

As the Witcher woke up in the morning his eyes immediately fell upon a very unusual surprise, Yennefer was not only awake but already up and about.

"This is a very special day."

"Don't look so surprised Geralt, just because I normally choose not to get up in the morning doesn't mean I lack the capacity to do so." She replied as he sat up in bed, watching the Sorceress as she sat in front of the dresser in nothing but her undergarments, carefully brushing her hair. "Geralt, haven't you got something to do?"

"Mmmmm."

"Go already, there are only so many presents to open and so many ways to keep the children from seeing outside so we need to be ready for them soon." She reprimanded, but as he caught her eyes in the mirror she looked seductively at him. "You can admire the 'beautiful sights' later."

He smiled at her. Untangling himself from the sheets he got up and changed into the white shirt, black leather jacket and a pair of dark brown pants which were already laid out for him on one of the chairs in the master bedroom, which was now considerably larger and more spacious after they'd extended the upstairs and moved the room there, before heading downstairs to put the last steps of Yennefer's master plan into motion.

"Is everything ready?" Asked Yennefer as she came down the stairs dressed in a long black skirt and white blouse with tight black sleeves which flowed slightly over the corset which accentuated her slender waist. Her attire was considerably more modest than the scandalous outfits Geralt had come accustomed to seeing her wear in Toussaint, not that he minded in the slightest. _The unbearable heat has to have some perks,_ he thought slyly as he nodded.

"Let's go outside, I can hear them coming." Said the Witcher opening the door for her.

They both stepped out onto the estate and the first thing they registered was how the scene before them had evoked the same peculiar feeling as a dream when anoesis descends upon the sleeping mind, because even though they could feel the cold air tickling their faces, hear the crunching beneath their shoes and see the estate around them, it all seemed too impossible to be true, a chimerical reality.

Wham. Yennefer and Geralt were standing in front of their house as they saw one of the doors to the servant's houses fly open. A small figure emerged and he looked as though he'd been petrified as he stood in the door frame, eyes wide as he swept his gaze all around as though expecting something to jump out at him.

Reticently, hands gripping the wall, he lifted one foot off the ground and moved it slowly over the threshold. He hesitated for a second, before digging his foot into the ground. He felt it crunch beneath his boot. He made an indistinguishable sound.

Letting go of the door frame, standing with his arms out to his sides like a tightrope walker, he tentatively swung his other foot forwards so that both feet were firmly planted on the ground outside. He took a deep breath.

Bending down into a crouching position he reached out his right hand lowering it to the floor with great care. Then suddenly his fingers shot forwards scooping up something which he brought up closer to his face, his open mouth quickly turning into a smile as he leapt to his feet.

"Snow! It snowed, it snowed! Come out, come out! Snow! Snoooooooooow! It's a White Yule! A miracle!" Screamed Alac at the top of his lungs, his mousy hair jostling around him as he pranced up and down with unquantifiable enthusiasm.

Wham. Wham. Wham. Three doors were almost flung off their hinges as small figures took a look at the ineffable scene around them. Branches and wreaths of holly, pinecones and red, gold and green ribbons were hanging from trees and houses alongside slender icicles, and everything as far as the eye could see, was covered in two inches of snow and the entire estate was encased in a thin capsule of ice as though a God had placed a crystal case over Corvo Bianco and filled it with white powder.

Tendrils of frost had spread over the dome, carving beautiful patterns on its surface: snowflakes of various and unique shapes and designs, one of Toussaint's constellations with stars that shone like crystals, a castle sitting amongst the clouds, unicorns running across the sky, horses prancing in the fields and other wonderful things. Corvo Bianco looked beautiful, dream-like, it was an impossible sight. But here it was.

"Oh, my." Said Matilda quietly as she put her hand to her mouth looking around with uncertainty.

"It snowed, can you believe it! Come on out Matilda, it's fine, I promise." Said Alac and he walked over to her, offering her his hand, smiling happily at her as he gently guided her outside before kneeling in the snow and picking up a handful which he presented to her. "Here."

He poured some into her hand and as it touched her bare skin she flinched slightly, unused to the cold, but the boy continued to smile encouragingly at her as he rolled up some of the snow into a ball. He winked at her. Thump.

"Arghh!"

The snowball flew from Alac's hand as he spun around on the spot, hurling it across the courtyard hitting Dardi square in the chest. He panicked as he jumped out of his skin, clutching his mortal wound with horror. Thump. Thump.

"Stop it!"

Two more projectiles flew at him, one smashing into the door just above him sending a shower of snow into his face and another hitting him in the stomach as Tira and Rela rolled around on the ground in fits of hysteria and Matilda giggled softly.

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourselves, but please, put these on before you all catch a cold and believe me when I say that this is something you should avoid getting at all costs."

In unison the children turned to the voice, watching as Yennefer glided over to them, the Witcher following behind her with a small brown sack which he placed on the floor and opened, revealing several items of fur, jackets, hats and gloves, which he handed out.

"Lady Yennefer, was this…did you, did you do all this?" Asked Alac timidly, peering up at the Sorceress as he fiddled with one of the buttons on the fur jacket. Silently she stooped down filling his senses with a sweet and bitter scent, two binary oppositions which nevertheless worked in harmony, as she helped him button up the protective clothing.

"Indeed it was, Alac. I think I'm becoming excessively sentimental in my retirement, or perhaps it's just the heat getting to me…who knows? But I suppose there's no harm in showing some philanthropy every now and then. It means charity, compassion." She added, answering his quizzical gaze.

"Thank you! Thank you, Lady Yennefer." He said smiling vivaciously up at her, his timid nature all but forgotten now.

"You're welcome." She said softly, offering him a small smile with Alac thought brightened up her whole face. Or so it seemed to him.

"Now, before you go out into the snow, do you remember what essential step comes first?" Asked Geralt as the children donned their new clothes eagerly.

"To have breakfast." Offered Rela,

"A hot one." Added Tira and as Geralt nodded they rounded on each other and clapped their hands together with well-timed movements, a celebration of their retentive memory.

"Exactly, and it wouldn't be a proper White Yule without one. By now BB should have set out the table and chairs in front of our house, and on it is enough hot food for all of you. What are you waiting for?!"

Squealing with excitement the children ran up to the house on unsteady legs, practically throwing themselves at the food, feet dangling off the chairs as they guzzled down sausages, bread, bacon, eggs and mushrooms. All apart from Matilda, of course, her suavity so ingrained that nothing could spur her to rash action.

* * *

After the small group had eaten their fair share of food, Yennefer pestering them all the while to slow down or risk choking, the congregation set out in search of adventure under the watchful eyes of the Master and Mistress of the estate, much to the parents' delight, and the children enthusiastically bumbled on about all the merry things they had planned for the day.

First and foremost on the crucial agenda was sleighing, something that had luckily been anticipated. Three sleighs waited for them atop one of the small hills in the 'snow globe', as it had now been dubbed, and the children took it in turns to race each other or paired up in teams. Rela and Tira were undeniably the best team, though there was a great deal of speculation as to whether or not this coincidence was down to their strong sisterly bonds or rather their shameless dirty tactics. Geralt was adamant that the girls had only beaten him because they were throwing snow in his eyes, but the more he thought the matter over the less certain he was of the culprit and he was forced to draw an alternate conclusion. Yennefer had been known to use underhand tactics of all shapes and varieties in almost any form of competition, whether it be Gwent, horse racing or fighting, so perhaps the blame for his untimely crash into some of the local vegetation had something to do with her. She denied the accusations but didn't seem riled up about his claims, _suspicious_ he thought, Geralt would have to press her later.

After the rushing cold air had sufficiently battered their faces the group moved on to something calmer, architecture. They treated the snow like clay, moulding it into their own image or as close to it as they could get. Dardi was remarkably artistic, his work showing moderate similarities with the depicted object, a dog, a house, a head, though perhaps it wasn't so surprising given his rather boastful nature, if Dandelion and Priscilla were anything to go by that is. Meanwhile the other children mostly stuck to rolling the snow into large balls and stacking one on top of the other and adding sticks and rocks to form a face and arms, this 'snowman' apparently resembling a human figure, though to be truthful the round shapes were more in keeping with a dwarf's physiology, but none dared comment on this fact.

With yet more food lining their stomachs after lunch there were several bouts of snowball fights in a multitude of different arenas, the courtyard, the garden and the hill to name some, all of which were now littered with hastily manufactured snow shelters and piles of snowball ammunition as well as the odd skid mark or snow angel as the battlefield became dangerously smooth sending many a competitor onto their backs or flying across the ground be it by accident or a slide for cover. There was no clear winner in this free for all until the Witcher made the grave mistake of trying to get the children to all gang up on Yennefer, but before their plan had even been put into motion the conspirators were all leaping for cover as a hailstorm of snowballs thundered down on them, a very triumphant looking Sorceress standing in the eye of the storm alongside Alac, evidently the mole. To top things off, as Geralt approached her in surrender, to call things even, a heap of snow tumbled down on him as the tree looming above him shook its boughs. Even wasn't good enough for her, she always had to remain on top.

Soaked through but cheery the group gathered under the darkening sky in the courtyard for the final agenda of this white yule. The children sat around and watched as the workers helped build a huge fire which filled the night air with smoke as they all sat around it, huddled together in the warmth. But as the snow began to flutter down there was time for one more festive surprise.

* * *

"Gadewch i'r golau gael ei fowldio i mewn i siâp a dawnsio fel pe bai'n fyw." The sudden and unknown sounds caused heads to turn instinctively towards the Enchantress who was sitting on the ground between Geralt's legs with white light flowing from her fingertips and for a brief moment, it loftily floated above the ground until it began to take shape. They watched in amazement as the insensate light came alive.

A unicorn as radiant as starlight pranced and galloped around the gigantic fire as it weaved its way in and out of the small groups, leaving a small trail of snow in its wake. A few seconds later and another formed from the magic still spilling from Yennefer's person. After a couple of minutes, the grounds of Corvo Bianco were filled with a menagerie of sensational creatures.

Flocks of birds gracefully flew through the night sky and over their heads, lighting up the darkness with their lustrous feathers, sometimes landing on the rooftops or outstretched legs and arms to flaunt their beauty. Tiny little pixies which to the unobservant eye seemed like no more than balls of light or over-sized Fireflies whizzed around people's heads sending showers of glitter over them or hovered in the air like floating candles. Bear cubs padded around on the ground playfully rolling around in the snow and chasing after the birds and pixies with awkward and clumsy movements. Butterflies perched on top of the flowers which spurted up from the snow, opening out their crystal petals.

Wide smiles adorned the faces of the workers and their families as they laughed and cheered at the bewitching illusions, these manifestations of starlight which made the ground shine more brightly than the star lit sky above. After a couple of minutes the animals nimbly rose up into the sky before all instantaneously colliding several metres above the centre of the group, and as the crystal images shattered flecks of warm light floated down to the ground, sinking into the earth. There was a round of applause and Yennefer smiled graciously.

"That was, incredible." Said Geralt tenderly as he wrapped his arms around her, helping to ward off some of the cold seeping into her body. As he spoke she wriggled around in his arms to look at him, tossing her raven-locks which shimmered as she dislodged some of the glitter clinging to it. "Damn Yen, I can't believe you didn't just disappear, you're too beautiful to be real."

She laughed softly at his compliment. While others may view his unique charm as awkward, to her it was endearing perhaps because it was honest, but what she knew for certain was that nobody could do what Geralt did, nobody else could make her feel as she did now.

"Then you must be the luckiest man alive, Geralt, because I am most certainly real and what's more, I shan't ever vanish from your side, my love." Purred Yennefer as she gently pulled his face closer, kissing him, before nestling herself in his warmth, head resting against his chest.

"I love you, Yen. My own little piece of starlight."

Alac and the other children found themselves drawn to the Sorceress as she buried herself in the Witcher's embrace, smiling sweetly at whatever words he spoke, and they were astounded by how it transformed her. Her features all seemed to soften, her face glowed and her eyes were no longer piercing but radiated warmth as her mesmerizing beauty lost its sharp edge, dulling the aura of terror and menace encompassing her, instead she began to emanate affection, compassion. Her smile was so sincere one could not help but share in her happiness. The children chuckled as they watched, it was a foolish notion to fear someone as serenely beautiful as Yennefer, they didn't, they never would. Instead, they adored her.

Children find themselves attracted to beauty, it is a means of acquiring extraordinary sensations. While at times dangerous, as in their nescience children fail to comprehend the capacity that beauty, whether natural or factitious, has for corruption, destruction and immorality, it can at times prove to be uplifting as children, so far free from the burden of adult prejudice, can see beyond physical perfection. As such the young act unknowingly act as canaries, now, the workers couldn't help but warm to her also.

"Lady Yennefer." The small voice roused her from her musing as she turned to Alac who was standing beside her, the other children gathered around him. "We all just, just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for this White Yule, we might never have seen one without you, and we've loved every second of it."

Geralt could see that the child was trying desperately to compose himself which is why he wasn't at all surprised when Alac's calm and courteous pretence dissolved as he knelt on the ground and hugged Yennefer. She hesitated for a moment before gently wrapping her arms around him, returning the affection.

"My pleasure." She replied kindly as they pulled apart, the boy's cheeks glowing ever so slightly.

"You're amazing Lady Yennefer." Said Rela joyfully as she clung to the Sorceress.

"Yeah, the best Mage ever." Added Tira, embracing her alongside her twin.

"Thank you." Said Dardi nodding at her as he lifted his head proudly.

"Thank you kindly, Lady Yennefer." Said Matilda, giving her a second to breathe before hugging her.

"You're welcome. Now, go and enjoy the rest of your White Yule because, unlike me, it won't be around for much longer, go." Said Yennefer teasingly, still smiling affectionately. She'd never admit it, but this day meant as much to her as it did to them.

"Master Geralt," said Alac as they turned to go, "when we were talking about Yule, you said your favourite thing to do was to huddle around the fire enjoying all the beautiful sights. What, what did you mean by it?"

"Uhhhhh…." The Witcher heard Yennefer make an indistinguishable sound, somewhere between a snort and a chuckle as she tilted her head back to look at his pleading face.

"You made this mess, Geralt, so you can sort it out."

* * *

After that, the children adored Yennefer unconditionally and as such, wanted to be like her while she wanted to help them make the most of life, to prosper. That was how the teaching began, but their relationship extended far beyond that of a pupil and a student. They looked up to her, but their idolization no longer induced fearful fascination as it once had.

As the Enchantress watched Alac and the other children wander home, she was oblivious to the man with long white hair striding quietly over to her, until he sank onto the bench beside her, enjoying the smell of lilac and gooseberries in the air around her.

"How were lessons today?" Asked Geralt as he handed her a goblet of wine which she gratefully accepted.

"They went well, thank you. But why do you ask? Couldn't tell from where you were watching, hmmm." She said, raising an eyebrow at him, to which he just shrugged and grinned in response.

"I was too distracted by you."

"Exactly what by, I wonder?" She asked, delicately tracing her fingers over the scars on his arm while looking at him seductively, head tilted marginally to one side as a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Where to begin…"

* * *

Notes:

Hi guys, hope you enjoyed this one-shot based off one of my tumblr Witcher headcanons (The children at Corvo Bianco loved hearing tales about a white Yule because it never snows in Toussaint so Yennefer surprised them by conjuring up a dome over the estate from which snow fell, now she does it every Yule and people come from all over to see it.) If you'd like to see more check me out on Tumblr under Eileniessa! This was only supposed to be short…guess I got a little carried away :P

Feel free to comment or PM me, I love hearing from you! Until next time :D


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